22 Cities Get Ready to Pilot the Future

After a successful 2012 competition which attracted 1,519 entries from 70 countries, Citymart is once again looking to award prizes to new urban ideas which aim to ‘pilot the future‘. 22 cities are back on board and looking for innovative ideas. They are: Aalborg, Barcelona, Boston, Christchurch, Eindhoven, Fukuoka DC, L’Hospitalet, Lagos, Lavasa, London, Maringa, Mexico City, Oulu, Paris, Rio de Janeiro, Rosario, San Francisco, Sant Cugat, Sheffield, Tacoma, Terrassa and York.

These cities have presented challenges in areas such as mobility, economic development, social inclusion, health & wellbeing, urban management, lighting, energy, culture, future government and sustainable lifestyles. Companies, entrepreneurs, innovators, consortia, research centers, organizations and experts are all invited to take part by submitting ideas that solve the city’s listed challenge.

City Mayors across the globe are watching closely, with Xavier Trias, Mayor of Barcelona, saying:

This is a great opportunity to identify and share solutions to the global challenges that cities are facing. Every city is a world in itself, and we are living in an urban world, this is why it is so important to identify those common problems which require shared solutions.

Ed Lee, Mayor of San Francisco, is hoping his city’s culture will benefit the programme:

San Francisco, as the Innovation Capital of the World, will facilitate a vigorous exchange of ideas and help develop innovative solutions to common urban challenges including transportation, the environment and healthcare that will build a better world.

You can see the 22 cities taking part and the challenges they want addressing here. A 3-day Summit in May 2013 will bring together city leaders and solution providers in San Francisco to discuss the cities’ challenges and the submitted ideas, with a view to kick-starting their implementation. Got an idea? You can submit it here.